Trump’s FBI Director Pick Says Russia Inquiry Is Not A Witch Hunt

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump’s pick for FBI director says he does not consider special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation a “witch hunt.”

Christopher Wray made the comments under sharp questioning by Sen. Lindsey Graham about Trump’s own comments on the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 campaign.

In a series of statements on Twitter, Trump called Mueller’s investigation a “WITCH HUNT” based on the “phony” premise of possible collusion between Russia and a cadre of Trump campaign associates.

Wray says simply, “I do not consider Director Mueller to be on a witch hunt.”

Wray also said that efforts to meddle or interfere with U.S. elections should be reported to the FBI.

Those comments also came under questioning by Sen. Graham about revelations that Trump’s son’s met with a Russian lawyer during last year’s presidential campaign.

Graham asked whether Wray should have agreed to that meeting; Wray stopped short of answering.

Graham then asked whether he should meet with Russians if they wanted to help his campaign.

Wray told Graham he would probably want to consult with a legal adviser before doing so. Asked whether someone should report that to the FBI, he added, “Any threat or effort to interfere with our election by any nation state or any non-state actor is the kind of thing the FBI would want to know.”